Viva Friday is a compilation of the best new Latin songs, albums and videos recommended by the Billboard Latin editors.
Jesse & Joy, “Lo Nuestro Vale Más” (Warner Music Latina)
Love is always worth fighting for. That’s the message behind Jesse & Joy’s new single “Lo Nuestro Vale Más.” Penned by the brother-sister duo and Poo Bear, a soft rhythmic pop tune serves as the background to Joy’s vocals and lyrics that tell the story of a love that blooms again for a couple on the verge of breakup. The music video was directed by Puerto Rican director Kacho López — who has worked with other artists like Ricky Martin and Bad Bunny — and was filmed in different locations throughout Mexico. “Lo Nuestro Vale Más” will be included in the duo’s forthcoming album dropping this year. — GRISELDA FLORES
Feid, Manuel Turizo, “Borraxxa” (In-Tu Linea)
Two of Colombia’s popular acts have joined forces for your next party anthem. At the helm of Feid and Manuel Turizo comes “Borraxxa,” an energetic reggaeton track about a girl who always calls the boy she’s crushing on when she’s had a bit too much to drink. Composed by Feid, Turizo and Sky, this song is a taste of what the Colombian artist has in stock for fans this year. “I feel that it has no limits, that it will reach many people,” Feid said of his new song. “As always I try to look for a particular situation and put it into music. I know that we have all received that call from someone who is drunk and says a thousand things. The track is accompanied by a 90s-inspired music video presented by Wildhouse Pictures. — JESSICA ROIZ
Combo Chimbita “Revelación (Candela)” (ANTI-Records)
Colombian Combo Chimbita quartet dances among a cosmos of greatness in “Revelación (Candela),” a song featured in the group’s sophomore album Ahomale. Its visceral drive is wrought through the flexible high-pitched voice of Carolina Oliveros, the bouncy percussion by Dilemastonauta, Niño Lento’s deftly guitar chords and the galvanized bass strokes by Prince of Queens. The song swelling ebb and flow gets one moving through a resilient and hypnotic reverb of new-wave cumbia shrouded in a whiff of easy garage rock. The song’s music video pays homage to elements of ancestral cosmology using yellow, white and red as the main colors to represent temperance, wisdom and fire. “Damos la guerra sin armas para matar/ Solo batalla en lo espiritual/ Y yo, y yo que no tengo nada/ Y tú, y tú que tienes para dar,” (We war without weapons to kill/ Only battle in the spiritual/ And I, I don’t have anything/ And You, what do you have to give?) — PAMELA BUSTIOS
ChocQuibTown, “Fresa” (Sony Music Latin)
Even cupid has his off days on Valentine’s Day and that’s the case in the Colombian group’s new music video where little cupid has no luck making couples fall in love. Perfectly blending hip-hop and reggaetón beats, “Fresa” is ChocQuibTown’s new single written by Goyo, Tostao and Slow along with Venezuelan songwriters Jorge Luis Charcin and “Oscarcito” who add rhymes that make this catchy tune an instant favorite. “‘Fresa’ has new nuances that we hadn’t explored before,” Tostao said about the song. “It includes mature sounds that reflect hard work in the studio and it’s also characterized by global tendencies that are particular to our group which is why we have been together for so long now.” The mischievous and colorful video was directed by JP Valencia along with Goyo’s artistic direction capturing the essence of a “futuristic African diaspora.” –GF
Pedro Capo, “Buena Suerte” (Sony Music Latin)
“Buena Suerte,” which means good luck in Spanish, is a captivating urban-pop song with head-bopping guitar riffs. Celebrating Valentine’s Day and love year-round, the lyrics are about love at first sight. “For me ‘Buena Suerte’ is a special and magical moment,” Capo expressed. “Hand in hand with my brothers Rec808 and Alex Palmer I present a song that represents the mystic and the sentiment of finding your soul mate. A song that speaks of the attraction and inevitable connection between two souls that have always known each other and have searched until they find themselves.” The music video was filmed in Los Angeles by Mike Ho. Capo is a first time and six-time finalist at the 2020 Billboard Latin Music Awards. –JR
Ani Cordero – "Taza de Cafe" (Panapén Records)
Puerto Rican singer-songwriter Ani Cordero releases “Taza de Café,” an introspective deep cut and latest offering of her third solo album El Machete, a set inspired by the reality of her country post hurricane Maria. With nylon string guitars gently plucked and strummed married to subtle electronic beats, the song unravels a reproach in Cordero’s gentle voice as it slinks over a wave of otherworldly background vocals. The Pati Cruz-directed music video, filmed in Puerto Rico, plays with the art of practicing fortune telling with coffee grounds. It intersperses longing with the anguish that brings upon a first encounter with someone and melancholy in a semi-erotic ambiance of a queer couple characterized by local actors Juanki (Juan Carlos Malavé Miller) and Edwin (Edwin J. Muñiz Marrero) and accompanied by Eugenio Monclova as protagonist. Cordero’s sensibility spreads beyond her creative art. As an activist, she is the co-founder of PRIMA (Puerto Rico Independent Musicians and Artists), whose aim is to support Puerto Rican musicians and its community impacted by the earthquakes in the south. –PB
